An extensive network of ancient sewer tunnels runs beneath the City. They are prone to flooding and fast currents during and following rainstorms. Main sewer tunnels are 10’ wide and 6’ high, with 2’ wide ledges against the walls, between which runs a river of sewage. Secondary sewers are 3’ wide and 5’ high. These are damp and dirty with areas of standing water. Many have shallow streams of filthy water flowing in them. Numerous small pipes and passages have not been detailed on the map.

The drains and pipes gush filthy, foul-smelling water into the central channel of the main sewer. The sewers channel water and waste to the south, where they empty into the Chasm of Darkness through barred slots. These slots are three feet wide and one foot high and have stout iron bars spaced every six inches across their width. Main sewers that empty into the Chasm have two such slots; secondary sewers have a single slot.

Getting into the Sewers

Characters can gain entrance to the sewers in a number of ways. The most obvious of these is via the drains and gratings that channel rainwater into the system. All major streets in the City have these features. Most of the gratings are fixed in place; others can be opened for cleaning but are normally padlocked. Still others have been converted into secret doors by thieves or others. Each grating leads to a vertical shaft that is about 25 feet deep. For those gratings that can be opened, an iron rung ladder is set into the side of the shaft.

Some buildings have ancient cellars that feature stone trapdoors leading into the sewer system. Others have secret entrances used for a variety of nefarious purposes (for example, the Bridge Inn).

The Rat Men

The sewers have recently become home to a number of Rat Men (see Fantasy Bestiary Toolkit, page 47) who have been driven nearer the surface by a gruesome predator they simply call “The Crawler”. This monstrosity has caused them to abandon their deeper nests and build a new lair in the ancient sewer system of the City. Now they scavenge for food in the City at night, avoiding all contact with the inhabitants where possible. They have kidnapped several people in recent months, however, carrying them back to their lair, where they have been sacrificed to the Rat God and then eaten. As these abductees have so far been drunks or low life, to date little action has been taken by the City authorities in response to the disappearances.

The Rat Men are a malign race of half-human, half-rat creatures whose nightmarish origins can only be guessed at. Like all rodents, they can flatten and squash their bodies, enabling them to squeeze through narrow sewer pipes and under low gaps. They also have a superb sense of direction, and never get lost in the maze of sewers and tunnels beneath the City. All Rat Men are carriers of disease and they can infect anyone they bite. They are often found in the company of rats. They can speak the language of rats, and often use them to spy on intruders in the sewers. Their leader is a particularly evil old shaman of the Rat God.

Sewer Encounters

The chance of a random encounter is 1 in 6. If an encounter is indicated, roll 2d6 on the chart below:
2d6 Encounter
2 Event
3-4 Thieves (d6)
5-6 Rat Men (2d6)
6 Lights in the distance
7 Swarm of Rats
8 Slithering sounds in the distance
9-10 Rat Men (3d6)
11 Dissolver
12 Event

Thieves: Thieves regularly use the sewers to move about the City unseen. Roll d6 to determine the number of thieves encountered. Under most circumstances, the thieves will avoid contact with adventurers in the sewers, and will flee. However, they may attempt to assault and rob lone wanderers or small groups of explorers.

Rat Men: If the party is together and alert, the Rat Men will simply hide and observe them, reporting their position back to their colony when possible. However if the party is distracted or resting, or there is an opportunity for an ambush, then the Rat Men will attack. Lone characters moving about the sewers may be snared with nets and carried back to the lair as gifts for the Rat God.

The Rat men have access to all parts of the sewers via their own tunnels. These tunnels are 1’ high and the entrances are cunningly hidden by pivoting stones or slates which are very hard to find. The Rat Men are armed with short swords; half of those in any encountered group are also equipped with short bows and a quiver of 20 arrows.

Lights in the Distance: The party sees lights bobbing about in the distance. These may be the lanterns of others who are moving about in the sewers. Alternatively, they may be one or more Will-o’-the-Wisps (Fantasy Bestiary Toolkit, page 5 floating along in a sewer pipe. These latter may attempt to lure the explorers into the deep water of a catch-basin - possibly the lair of a Dissolver…

Swarm of Rats: Hundreds of rats are fleeing from something as yet unseen and attack anything in their path.

Slithering Sounds in the Distance: Sickening slithering noises are heard echoing down the sewer pipe, as if something large and flabby is squirming through the tunnels. This is the Crawler, a terrifying chthonic monster that sometimes hunts in the tunnels (see Lair of the Crawler for details of this creature).

1d6 Event
1 You find a dead body floating in the sewer channel; the cause of death is determined by the GM…
2
3
4 A party of Rat Men is carrying an unconscious woman back to their lair for sacrifice.
5 The Crawler appears (see Lair of the Crawler for details of this creature).
6 GM’s choice

Key to the Sewer Map

The following areas are shown on the main Sewer Map. Of course, GMs are free to add their own locations to the map and expand the sewers to fit in with their version of the City.

C Collapsed tunnel: The way ahead is completely blocked by debris.

B Catch basin: This high-ceilinged, 30’ square space is where the main sewer channels from higher levels connect with the lower levels of the system. Twenty-five feet up the north wall, a main sewer pipe enters the chamber. A waterfall of rainwater and sewage gushes from the tunnel and plunges into a 6 foot deep pool in the middle of the catch basin, from which it flows south into the lower main pipe. Secondary sewers and minor drains also join the catch basin from the east and west, gushing their contents into the pool. A two-foot wide ledge skirts each wall of the basin. Iron-rung ladders on the wall, either side of the upper sewer opening, provide access to the north.

W Weir: At this point, the sewer pipe opens out into a long, low-ceilinged tunnel that slopes upward from south to north at an angle of about 25 degrees. The 4 foot high tunnel is built as a series of “steps”; each step is 2½ feet high, 6 feet wide and 6 feet long. The weir rises some 25 feet in elevation to join with the upper sewer system. A constant stream of effluent flows down the steps. The noise of the falling water makes it necessary to shout in order to communicate with fellow explorers.

U Underground stream: This subterranean watercourse used to flow into the Wiggy River to the east, but its course was altered in antiquity. First, a deep pool was constructed, from which the well in Hensley Castle now derives its clean water supply. Then the stream was channelled southwards into a main sewer feeder pipe, providing a constant flow of water with which to flush the system. Secondary sewers and drains serving the castle empty into the stream south of the pool.

The stream tunnel averages 4’ in diameter and the water is knee deep. It continues for some 150’ to the north of the well pool, where it seemingly ends at a 6’ deep pool. This is in fact a sump that can be passed by bold adventurers. Beyond the sump, the tunnel resumes and penetrates deep into the mountain.

The original course of the stream is marked on the map. This tunnel still exists, although entry into it was barred by a locked iron grating hundreds of years ago. Beyond this wall, the stream heads east towards the Wiggy River. It opens into the river about 10 feet below the surface of the water. This opening is also barred by an iron grate.

1 Lair of the Rat Men: This ruined temple and its associated crypts were cleared of their undead inhabitants by adventurers and Deadwatch priests a few years ago. It has now become the Rat Men’s lair. This location is detailed later in the document.

2 The Thieves’ Guild: The Thieves’ Guild has taken over what used to be a small gaol complex attached to the original fortifications of the city. This location is detailed later in this document.

3 Lair of the Crawler: A 40 foot deep vertical shaft leads down to the lair of the Crawler. This location is detailed later in this document.

4 Tombs of the Old City: Undead guardians yet lurk in these forgotten crypts, which are described in full later in this document.

5 Ruins of the Watch Tower: This underground complex lies beneath the ruins of an ancient watch tower. The stone from the ruin was robbed out by Sir Hensley’s stonemasons years ago when the City of the Shark was built, so there is now little sign that the tower stood here at all.
However, the underground levels of the building have survived, although there is no longer any access to the surface. The location is detailed later in this document.

Story Hooks

There are many reasons for the characters to begin exploring the sewer system beneath the city streets. Here are a few examples:

1. The characters are hired to delve into the sewers in order to locate a lost or stolen item.

2. The adventurers hear tales of shadowy figures staring out from behind sewer gratings. They may be thieves casing a joint, or Rat Men waiting for an opportunity to emerge unseen into the City. Perhaps a character spots such a figure (Notice roll at -2)?

3. A swarm of rats erupts from a sewer grating, causing havoc in the street as people are attacked by the rampaging rodents. The creatures are mad with fear – what has caused them to flee from the tunnels below?

The Rat Men have set up their lair in the ruins of an ancient temple that dates from the time of the Old City. A secret passage leading from the sewers to the ruins was discovered by adventurers a few years ago. The area was cleared of its undead inhabitants after several forays by the explorers and a party of acolytes from the Church of the Deadwatch. Maps showing the location of the secret passage are lodged in the archives of the Deadwatch church.

About six months ago, a tribe of Rat Men, driven up from the lower dungeon levels by the predations of the Crawler, discovered the ruined temple and set up home there. At any one time there are 40 Rat Men in the lair, not counting the shaman and his acolytes. The rest of the colony will be out foraging in the sewer tunnels or skulking about in the City above. The Rat Men move about their lair, so the room descriptions below do not generally list them as inhabitants of the various locations. Instead, for every room that the characters enter and each turn of a corridor they move around, there is a 1 in 6 cumulative chance of encountering d6+2 Rat Men. The first confrontation with Rat Men will result in the creatures attempting to alert the rest of the lair as to the presence of the intruders. Once the alarm has been raised, the remainder of the Rat Men in the lair will begin hunting down the characters in order to capture or kill them. Cornered Rat Men will fight with vicious abandon, but generally the creatures are cautious combatants. They are organised and know the area very well. They use hit-and run tactics to wear the invaders down and lead them into ambushes and traps. The Rat Men will utilise the features of the ruined temple to give them the best tactical advantage in all situations.

Basic statistics for the Rat Men may be found in the Fantasy Bestiary Toolkit on page 47. They are equipped with short swords; 50% of Rat Men encountered are also armed with short bows (20 arrows each). Details of the leader of the colony, and his three acolytes, are given below.

Shaman of the Rat God (WC)

The evil old shaman is a cunning leader who will organise the defence of the lair from the relative safety of the Rat God’s shrine. He will assign his acolytes to bolster the defenders, sending out orders and receiving progress reports via ordinary rats that act as his messengers. If the tide turns against the Rat Men, he will order his troops back to the shrine to defend his person.

The layout of the temple adheres to the following rough plan. Storerooms are positioned to the north, whilst living areas, such as the kitchens, refectory and library are sited in the central portion of the complex. The main ceremonial areas lie to the west, and the rooms to the east tend to be dormitories and private quarters. The southern portion of the plan is reserved for the dead, for it is here that the crypts were built.

The corridors in the ruined temple are between 6’ and 10’ in width and they have arched ceilings that peak at around 10’ high. Most doors are made of hardwood unless otherwise noted; they were smashed open in the assault of several years ago, and are either hanging off their hinges or open very easily. The doors leading into the Great Hall are in relatively good condition, however, having been repaired by the Rat Men. There is a pungent smell of rodents in all rooms except the crypts, which are musty and thick with dust.

The map key below does not provide details of every area the characters may explore. For such rooms, the following table may be consulted to provide the GM with some typical contents with which to dress up each location.

d10 Result
1 Bones from several disarticulated skeletons.
2 Rusty circular saw blades, as used by Deadwatch priests.
3 Several smashed storage jars.
4 Rotting barrels with unknown contents.
5 Iron spikes driven into the wall or door.
6 A broken weapon, rusted and useless.
7 Rats! They may scamper off to warn the Rat Men of intruders…
8 Lengths of rusty iron chain.
9 Thick cobwebs on the ceiling (no resident spiders).
10 Harmless mould or slime on the floor or walls.

1. Storeroom

Unknown to the Rat Men, a secret passageway from the sewers terminates in a door that opens into this storeroom. The floor is piled high with heaps of rotten and partially burnt wood. Growing on this wood is a thick green mould from which several large, bell-like toadstools sprout. If the fungus is disturbed by moving the wood, then the toadstools release clouds of choking spores. Unfortunately, the wood must be shifted to gain access to the room from the secret door. The fungus is easily destroyed by fire.

Fungal Spores: these spread out in a 4” radius around the mould; anyone caught in the cloud must make a Vigor roll each round or suffer the loss of a level of Fatigue. Anyone reduced below Incapacitated level will choke to death.

2. Rat Men Tunnels

This maze of narrow tunnels leads to several exits into the sewer system. The tunnels can be traversed by humans with difficulty (pace is halved; characters cannot run), but only if they are wearing non-rigid armour. The various small chambers shown are guard posts that are continually manned under normal circumstances.

3. Great Hall

This ancient hall is now the main dwelling place for the Rat Men. The huge room is lit by burning torches in wall sconces, and by a great fire that burns in a pit in the centre of the space. Four great columns, carved in the shape of trees, support the arching roof. The walls are covered in painting, most of which have been damaged. However, many robed human figures can be discerned in the frescoes. Interestingly, the figures appear to have no faces – just strange slit-like eyes (they are in fact wearing masks).

There are many straw nests scattered along the walls of the room – enough to sleep eighty or more Rat Men. In one corner stand three iron cages. These are where abductees from the City are held prior to being offered to the Rat God. If the adventurers are raiding the lair to rescue a captive, they will be found locked inside one of these cages.

Heavy curtains cover the ceremonial passageway that leads to the Shrine of the Rat God to the south.

4. Shrine of the Rat God

This vaulted chamber is lit by two great braziers that burn to either side of a bloodstained stone altar. Behind this gruesome block stands a crude bronze statue of the Rat God. The original stone statue that once stood in this position lies smashed to pieces at the feet of the usurper god.
Stone statues stand in alcoves to either side of the room; they have been defaced and it is hard to make out their features. They are in fact the robed effigies of high priests who once presided over the rituals performed in the temple centuries ago.

5. Refectory

This area was once a refectory where the priests of the temple sat down to eat together. It is now almost unrecognisable as such. The floor has partially collapsed, leaving a huge crack in the middle of the area that runs from wall to wall. The crack is 3 – 5 feet wide. In addition, the ceiling is highly unstable. The Rat Men have erected several wooden struts to prevent the roof caving in. In defending the Lair, the Rat Men may knock these struts aside in order to try and precipitate a collapse.

6. Library

This was once the library of the temple. Now the room is piled high with debris. The roots of some great tree penetrate the ceiling, and fallen masonry, soil and broken bookcases lie in heaps around the room. The piles of debris provide good hard cover against missile fire for those who hide behind them.

7. Scriptorium

This room is where the temple priests once copied out their holy books and scrolls. Now it is strewn with broken and rotten furniture – chairs, desks and bookcases. A partially collapsed wooded platform stands at the east end of the room. An iron spiral staircase leads up to the platform, which is still strong enough to bear the weight of several people.

8. Dormitory

The door to this dark room is smashed almost beyond recognition. The room is festooned with sticky webs. The Rat Men avoid the area due to the pair of giant spiders that lair here. The spiders sometimes emerge from their webs to hunt, but mostly they lurk over the doorway ready to ensnare any unwary visitors. In their defence of the Lair, the Rat Men may attempt to force the characters into the room, where they will be at the mercy of the oversize arachnids.

9. Spiral Staircase

This stone spiral staircase leads upwards, but is blocked by hundreds of tons of rubble after only a few turns.

10. Antechamber

All the doors in the crypt area are made of stone. They have been forced open from the outside. The antechamber itself bears the scars of a major fight that happened here in the past. There are burn marks on the floor and walls, and the flagstones are strewn with smashed bones. Once fine tapestries lie in tatters on the ground; they depict scenes of temple life.

11. Burial Chambers

Each of the niches contains an open coffin. Examination of the coffins shows that they were smashed open from the inside. A large number of bones crunch underfoot as the characters explore this area.

12. Crypt

The main crypt contains three sarcophagi, their lids smashed and lying scattered around the open tombs. Strangely, the floor is covered with crisp, dry leaves, like those that fall from Autumn trees. There is no obvious way these leaves could have got into the crypt, and since they have not rotted down, they cannot have been here that long. If the leaves are cleared away, it will be seen that the tombs stand upon a large pentagram carved into the flagstone floor.

There is a niche in the west wall that appears to have partially collapsed. The niche and the area immediately in front of it, is strewn with fallen masonry and soil. If the niche is cleared, a valuable golden broach may be found – treasure missed by those who fought the occupants of the tombs.

The middle sarcophagus has become the lair of a giant centipede that enters and leaves the crypt via the collapsed niche (it can tunnel though the packed earth quite effectively). Anyone examining the sarcophagus will be attacked as the creature emerges to defend its nest. The statistics for this creature may be found on page 12 of the Fantasy Bestiary Toolkit.
There is evidence of a major battle having taken place here in the past. The walls bear scorch marks, and there are two piles of burnt bones and ash lying near the sarcophagi. Close examination of the burnt areas reveals the remnants of ancient bandages mixed in with the cremated bone. These are the remains of a pair of guardian mummies.

Three open chests, their locking mechanisms smashed, stand against the north wall of the crypt. The chests are empty, their contents long since looted.

Story Hooks

Here are a few ideas to get the characters involved with the Rat Men and their lair:

1. A strange illness is spreading through the City and the Hospitallers of Alycia the White are having difficulty curing it. However, they believe that the disease-carrying Rat Men may be responsible, as some of the creatures have been spotted recently, in the alleys of the city after dark. If the Rat Men’s lair could be located, the threat to public health might be eliminated once and for all. Additionally, the contents of the lair may provide the Hospitallers with the materials they need to create a serum against the disease.

2. A thief from the Bridge Inn has disappeared whilst delivering a coded message on a journey through the sewers. The Thieves’ Guild suspects rivals, but in reality the Rat Men snared him and carried him off to their lair. The adventurers are hired to find out what happened and to retrieve the message, if possible. If the message is reclaimed, the characters have the option of returning it, de-coding it themselves, or passing it on to rivals of the Guild for a tidy sum of money.

3. The authorities have turned a blind eye to the occasional disappearance of a drunkard or a streetwalker over the past few months. But now the daughter of a more respectable citizen has gone missing and the City Watch has had to take notice. The adventurers are hired for the disagreeable job of searching the sewers for clues to the abduction.

4. Tales of the original assault on the ruined temple are still told in some taverns, where they often earn the storyteller a pint of ale or two. A king’s ransom was hauled out of the dungeon back then – perhaps some overlooked treasure yet remains in the ruined halls of that ancient fane?

I think all of them were truely evil cults. He wants a good evil cult. Skizoids only! The Church of Burning Love. Followers of the Blind Seer. Worshipers of the Agnostic One. You know, good evil cults _________________The More I Learn, The Less I Know

Well okay I want a BAD evil cult then...but it has to be a good one, y'know.

No cults ever got submitted, even though lots of people said they had ideas for them. I was kind of hoping that the guy who posted his cult to the forums recently would consider integrating it into the Savage City, but it seems he was not keen on doing that.

I still have something called "Theatre of the Gods" up my sleeve. Actually should have been a good cult. But thinking about it, the idea of twisting it seems really neat. And it would also raise the soap factor of our little town..._________________tartex - Minion of Kitchensink
savagepedia.com is now a domain!
The Great RPG Swindle - 90% Savage Worlds Content

Slight bit of forum necromancy here, but I was reviewing my RP folder on my PC and I came across my entry for this, whatever happened to the project?_________________Life: Past trends are not an indication of future performance

The project is still alive (barely). Its just that nothing has come through for a while.

If you have any submissions, post them here and mail me a copy at stuart dot bonham at bt dot com. I will compile them into the next batch of stuff for Shark Bytes.

Locations 24, 48, and 57 were actually submitted by me but were credited to Stephen in the latest Sharkbytes. I submitted a few more directly to him (way back when) that looks like they got lost. I'll try to dig them up and post them here as well email them to you.

The sign outside this shop shows a bow in front of eight crossed arrows. After stepping inside you can’t help but be impressed by the bows on display. The finished bows are richly decorated with intricate carvings, inlays, and wrapped handles. A half-elf is sitting on a bench deeply engrossed in shaping a piece of wood. If spoken to, Corwin looks up from his workbench and says, “Hello good people and welcome to my shop. I don’t mind telling you that these bows are even more functional than they are beautiful. They may be a bit more expensive than those you’ll find elsewhere, but they are worth every penny.” Corwin is a half-elf who is very proud of the work he does. His bows are indeed beautiful, and he will gladly craft bows for patrons who request unique carvings. While his arrows are not as intricate as his bows, they too are works of art. Prices are typically 150%-200% above normal, but they all appear to be extremely well made. Corwin is no wildcard, just an expert craftsman.

Savage Tale: Corwin says, “So, you’ve heard of my superior bows? I can make you a bow that shoots straighter and hits with more impact than those you see here, but I need a special type of wood and a special type of pull string to create it. Bring me what I need and I will craft it for you for $(300% above normal price). The wood is from a Blackwood tree. Cut a limb from the tree that is the thickness of a dwarf’s arm and 3 times as long. Leave the rest of the tree intact. For the string I need a ball of web from a giant spider’s nest. I’m sure you can find both in the Goblin’s wood.”

The loggers may be able to help point the party to certain parts of the forest to search for these things. If asked the logger’s do mention that they stay away from Blackwood trees because they are bad luck and incredibly difficult to cut. Once found, the spiders nest is guarded by giant spiders from the SWR book, and the Blackwood tree is guarded by a Mossman from the SW Bestiary Toolkit. There is always the threat of Goblins when in the woods as well.

A few notes about the bow: The bow is not magical. It offers +1 to hit and damage due to expert craftsmanship and the materials used. It is tough and will suffer through many hardships that would ruin a normal bow. The bowstring is equally resilient and will not break unless purposefully cut. The bow is varying shades of black in color and will have any carvings the buyer requests. The handle is wrapped in sharkskin. It will take about two weeks to make once the components are in hand.

Angelina’s House of Candles

The sign outside this shop shows a house with candles in every window. Even before entering the shop you can smell a myriad of wonderful scents. The interior is filled with candles of every shape, size, and color. Angelina is an old human woman who shuffles about the shop constantly lighting some candles and snuffing others out. She’ll say to no one in particular, “When you snuff out a candle they say a soul is lost forever. I must have destroyed whole armies of souls by this point in my life. Heh, heh.” She is a bit of a strange old woman with a peculiar sense of humor. In the back room is where she makes the candles and there are vats of fat and wax, and hundreds of bottles and vials on the walls with all sorts of strange ingredients. Nothing is labeled but she seems to know where everything is. Angelina supplies candles to many prominent citizens, businesses, and temples in the city.

Savage tale: “Ever hear of the underground caverns in Shark Lake? It’s true I’m told. Riches galore down there I’m told. Too bad you can’t hope to get at them underneath all that water and such. But what if you could? I can make that happen you know. My eyes aren’t what they used to be, but yes, here it is. These two candles are made from shark liver and a few other interesting ingredients. Light one in a small room and breath in the fumes until the candle burns out, and you’ll be able to breathe like a fish for several hours. I’ll give you two for the price of one!”

Anyone following the directions given will be able to breathe underwater for 1d4 hours. It doesn’t matter how many people are in the room everyone is affected.

Not a problem. I was sure that it was a mistake and hope I didn't imply otherwise. I found two other locations from my notes and will post them here and email them to essenbee as well.

Hey there!

Sorry...I looked back in this thread and found those entries posted by Steve; in my haste to get the new issue out I assumed he had written them, and I didn't double-check.

I'll do better than a correction in the next issue, though...I'll correct the PDF and upload a new version. There's 60-odd copies out there with the wrong credits, but maybe they'll end up being collector's items.

In any case, keep those entries coming...the Savage City has risen from the dead and I look forward to publishing more locations in the next issue. At some point in the future, when the City's complete, I'll put the whole thing together into a PDF of its own.